Hey guys,
I have always been someone that likes to clean and organize. I also have no problem with getting rid of items I no longer have a use for. However, when I married Devin, it became harder to stay on top of the clutter in my home. Devin is somewhat of a natural “hoarder,” and he claims I have a problem when it comes to my house being “spick and span”. Needless to say, the first time he told me that it did not go over quite well.
Anyway, I have learned to get back on top of my organizing game and have also learned to let go and relax, even when the house is not clean. Throughout the years of my life, I have adopted a few habits that I think help me stay so well organized.
I will share these tips with you guys today so that you too can have a clean and organized home!
Tips that will declutter your life
1. Only buy what is necessary
Every day we are bombarded with thousands of gadgets, clothing and whatever else we can think of to purchase. Ads are all around us telling us that we need to wear the latest fashion trend or our life would be easier if we buy that new kitchen gadget. However, the majority of the items out there are completely unnecessary.
Therefore, I try to think twice before purchasing an item. I ask myself: if I will have a use for it often, if I can figure out another way to do the task I want to accomplish without the item and if I will throw it away after using it. These questions help me to judge whether the object is essential.
When you only buy things that you need, you will be limiting the number of items you collect in your house. Therefore, decreasing the amount of clutter that surrounds you.
2. Do not buy multiples of the same thing
Buying more than one of the same thing is a popular habit. For example, you may buy four sets of sunglasses. The reasonable explanation for doing this is that you want four different styles to go with different outfits. Okay, fair enough but seriously think about it, you probably will like one more than the others and always lean towards that pair. Thus, the other three pairs of sunglasses are collecting dust at home. So, try to only pick one and do not think about getting the rest of the collection. It does not make sense to get more of the same thing since you will never really use all of them to its full potential.
In some cases, you may need to buy more than one of a particular item. I am just encouraging you guys to think twice before you buy anything.
3. Donate items that you no longer use
It is inevitable that we will continue to buy more products throughout our lives. However, if you keep buying stuff but never get rid of the old, then that’s when clutter creeps into your home. Therefore, get rid of the things you no longer use or never used for that matter. Now, I am not telling you to chuck everything in the trash! I am telling you to donate or repurpose the thinks you do not want. There will always be someone out there that thinks your junk is a treasure, which is great right?
By donating, you will be helping others out, saving the environment and in the end giving yourself some mental clarity because of your organized house!
4. Go paperless
If you are anything like me, you love to learn, read and write. So I am guessing throughout the years you have collected tons of papers, books and other things like bills, etc. Well, at least that was how my life was going until I decided to go paperless. My lifestyle is not 100% paperless, but I try my best to avoid paper as much as possible.
Like I said I do not thrive when my house is over cluttered or dirty, so I find that using less paper and opting to use electronic books and papers helps me to stay organized and beat the clutter. I’ve mentioned some things that help me with going paperless in my zero-waste essentials post.
5. Sort through belongings regularly
When I say regularly, I do not mean monthly or twice a year. I suggest making a habit of going through your belongs on a daily to weekly basis. I do a thorough cleaning and decluttering of my house every weekend (or at least I try to). This way I get rid of things I do not need anymore and organize every room in my house. This saves me from having to work harder and waste more time if I had left this chore for longer.
Some tips for sorting through are:
- Look through bathroom cabinets every time you clean the bathrooms, get rid of expired products, old makeup brushes, etc.
- Sort nightstands out every time you make the bed, put items back where they belong such as books on the bookshelf, lotion back in the bathroom, etc.
- Clean the refrigerator every time you buy new grocery. Throw away or compost spoiled food, leftovers and any crumbs that might have been left behind.
- Make sure you are going through the pantry and doing the same as the refrigerator.
- Every time you wash the dishes, decide whether there are any dishes, containers or glasses that you are no longer using or are unnecessary to keep. Someone else can benefit from them.
- Watch out for old or worn clothing when washing clothes. Put them to better use as cleaning cloths etc. instead of throwing them away.
- When putting clothes away or while getting dressed, give your closet a once-over to make sure there is not anything that you are neglecting. If there is be sure to put it in the donate pile.
- Organize your desk or office everytime you clean the house, be sure to donate books you are finished reading and maybe scanning papers onto the computer.
6. Organize mental focus
In this day in age, we have so many things to give our attention too. We have families and friends, work, hobbies and not to mention all of the technological media like youtube, blogs, other social media, and podcasts. I suggest organizing all of these things and keeping everything to a limited amount.
If you are following 20 podcasts, 15 different youtube, have a large group of friends etc. you can get distracted very easily. Not to mention you may feel overwhelmed and that you are being stretched too thin. If you limit the number of friends, hobbies and social media you allow into your life, you will have more time to focus on the essential things. Therefore, you will have mental clarity and feel like you’re accomplishing your goals.
Final thoughts
The world that we live in today makes us fight for what we want in and out of our lives. Most of the time we allow ourselves to focus on too many unnecessary things or buy unnecessary items. This leads us to feel confused, overwhelmed and never relaxed or at peace.
I hope that these tips and tricks will help you guys stay organized and feeling free from clutter. If you guys have any other suggestions that can help with decluttering, please leave them in the comments below.
Until next time,
yasmin rose xoxo
